Solemn prayers mark tragic May 1998 riots<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Families of those who perished in the May 1998
\nriots remembered their loved ones with prayers at the Pondok
\nRangon cemetery in East Jakarta on Sunday.<\/p>\n
The cemetery is the resting place of over 1,000 unidentified
\nvictims of the violence that swept through the capital from May
\n13 to May 15, 1998, one of the bloodiest incidents in the
\ncountry's history.<\/p>\n
The riots broke out three years ago following the fatal
\nshooting of four Trisakti University students during a mass
\ndemonstration on their campus in West Jakarta on May 12, 1998.<\/p>\n
The coordinator of the May Tragedy Commemoration, Rinto Tri
\nHasworo, said as quoted by Antara that the prayers and gathering
\nwere meant to show the solidarity of the families of those who
\nhave perished in violent incidents.<\/p>\n
"We are gathering all of the families of victims of violence,
\nnot only those from the mid-May riots but also from various
\nincidents such as the Semanggi shootings (in 1998) and the
\nChristmas bombings (in 2000)," Rinto said during the gathering at
\nthe cemetery on Sunday.<\/p>\n
Those at the gathering, organized by the Humanitarian
\nVolunteers, remembered several tragic incidents such as the
\ntragedy at Klender Plaza in East Jakarta, where hundreds of
\npeople were burned to death on May 12, 1998.<\/p>\n
"It's very difficult to ask for legal accountability in these
\nkinds of cases ... it's even harder to ask the government to care
\nfor the graves of the victims of violence," Rinto said.<\/p>\n
A similar gathering was held at the Hotel Indonesia traffic
\ncircle in Central Jakarta and at Fatahillah museum in Kota area,
\nWest Jakarta.<\/p>\n
About 30 relatives of May 1998 riot victims grouped in the
\nSolidarity of Chinese Indonesian Youths for Justice held a
\npeaceful rally at the Fatahillah Museum.<\/p>\n
The protesters, wearing traditional Chinese outfits, carried
\npictures of their relatives killed in the riots.<\/p>\n
They demanded the government follow up the investigation into
\nthe May 1998 riots with legal action against those responsible
\nfor the violence. They also demanded the government end all forms
\nof discrimination against Indonesians of Chinese descent.<\/p>\n
The commemoration of the May 1998 riots on Sunday followed
\nSaturday's commemoration of the May 12, 1998, shooting at
\nTrisakti University, which left four students dead.<\/p>\n
The shooting sparked days of massive unrest and rioting in the
\ncapital, eventually forcing president Soeharto from office.<\/p>\n
The Trisakti shooting was commemorated at four separate
\nlocations in the capital -- the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle,
\nthe Semanggi cloverleaf, the Trisakti University campus and Jl.
\nProklamasi.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid and Human
\nRights Association, Hendardi, said on Sunday the Indonesian
\nMilitary (TNI) and the police should be held responsible for the
\nfatal shooting at the Trisakti campus.<\/p>\n
"The demand for accountability must be pursued through a fair
\ntrial, and whoever is guilty in the incident must be punished,"
\nHendardi said in a statement.<\/p>\n
He urged the House of Representatives to demand this
\naccountability from the TNI and the police. He said the House's
\nspecial committee investigating the incident had been used by
\nformer military and police officers to clear themselves of guilt
\nin the incident.<\/p>\n
"What we need is an ad hoc trial for the case. The House did
\nnot seem to have the commitment to organize a trial for the
\ncase," he said. (edt\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/solemn-prayers-mark-tragic-may-1998-riots-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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